14 DAY TRIAL // An international collaboration of astronomers has recently discovered the closest neighbor the Sun has, that it definitely outside of our solar system. The researchers say this is a Jupiter-sized object, most likely a very cool brown dwarf. It was found to be wandering around some 9 light-years away from the Sun, which is very close by cosmic standards, Technology Review reports.
A brown dwarf is a very special kind of cosmic object. Generally, normal or very large stars are formed when immense clouds of cosmic dust and gas come together to create a very large mass. Eventually, once a certain threshold is reached, the cloud collapses on itself, and ignites in the process, triggering nuclear fusion. When this happens, a new star is born. Still, not all clouds of this type end up producing full-blown stars. Some of them fail to ignite, and the result is a body known as a brown dwarf.
This is the class the Jupiter-sized object found lurking nearby pertains to. Gas giants in our solar system are believed to have the same type of mass, structure and composition as these failed stars. Astronomers agree that if the outer planets in our solar system had formed in the vastness of space, they too would have been classified as brown dwarfs. The newly-found object, discovered by a team led by University of Hertfordshire astronomer Philip Lucas, has been named UGPSJ0722-05.
The brown dwarf is believed to experience the same surface temperature as Jupiter, or about 500 degrees Kelvin (226.85 Celsius). But the really remarkable thing about this body is that spectral analysis of its atmosphere has revealed the fact that it contains traces of the hydrocarbon methane, as well as telltale signs of water vapors. This is bound to make the object of a prime target for future investigations by astrobiologists. Undoubtedly, a heated debate will begin as to what type of molecules lie in UGPSJ0722-05's atmosphere. It is also certain that its name will be changed to something more catchy, and easy to pronounce and remember.